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With the advancement in internet technology achieving instantaneous global communications, it is not easy to keep web design ideas private. Online creative designers and developers face the risk of having that work copied or stolen. When developing new Houston web design ideas, it is important to retain intellectual property rights to the finished work. There are certain measures that can protect work from online theft. Listed below are essential actions that can be done to prevent internet work from getting stolen.

Protective Measures

Primarily, the best action to take is to protect design work as much as possible. Below are some strategies that can help stop others from stealing web design work.

Copyright Notice – A copyright disclaimer must be placed to protect web design work from being stolen. Basically, three elements must appear in close proximity to each other to display the notice. This includes the copyright symbol, the year it was first published, and the name of the owner. Doing so can inform any viewer that the website has ownership and should not be copied.

Digital Watermark – The online world is filled with those waiting for an opportunity to steal someone else’s ideas. One of the effective tactics to deter, discourage, and safeguard web design from the grasp of thieves is to embed digital watermarks. A common misconception is that watermarks are hard to removed or alter. For a Houston web design company, removing or changing a watermark can be done; however, for most thieves, it is very difficult to modify or eliminate the digital watermark.

Copyscape – This is an effective tool to find out if a website or blog site has made a copy of the original content. It helps fight against plagiarism and detect who copied the content.

When Work Is Stolen

Basically, the first reaction when something is stolen is to go panic, which is a very basic reaction when facing such circumstances. Instead, gain control of the situation by following these steps.

Contact Publisher – This can be done by sending emails and telling the publisher of this wrongful act. Politely request them to remove and change any problematic design.

Contact Web Host – If no response is received after a few days, the next action is to contact the ISP provider to shut down the website.

Community Support – Another step is to comment through blogs and forums about the problem to gain community support about stealing layout ideas. Just be cautious when doing this to not make the matter any worse.

Legal Action – If every other attempt has failed, and the case is serious, it is time to take legal action. Contact a lawyer to send a warning letter or a cease-and-desist order. This tactic is good in scaring off many offenders and shutting down a website.

There are various common cases of web design theft that can easily be identified. Web design work requires time, effort and ideas to succeed – and no web designer would want this work to be copied and used without asking permission. As a designer or developer, it is essential to learn how to prevent this type of online crime and avoid such work from getting stolen!

Do you need to find a Houston web design company to create or re-design a website for you? Call Web Unlimited at 979-696-2500 to find expert help in creating an outstanding internet presence for your company!